Cuticle is the layer of skin that is found at the bottom of the nails, where the nail is embedded into the fingers or the toes, respectively. The purpose of cuticles is to prevent the bacteria from gaining entry into the skin, and hence the body.
Since cuticles are delicate, they can crack and break easily. It is more common when the weather is dry, and the rest of your skin is also suffering from the same fate. Too much washing of the hands –or the feet—or too much use of a sanitizer can also cause the cuticles to dry out.
Some people can also damage their cuticles by biting or picking at them. Others might take nail clippers to remove the cuticle, causing damage to this delicate skin.
Cracked or peeling cuticles need to be deal with urgency, to else they can lead to an infection, meriting then the intervention of your Dermatologist in Islamabad.
Dealing with dry cuticles
Argan oil
Argan oil is not just good for your hair but is great for your cuticles as well. As it is packed with antioxidants, it aids in the healing process. Furthermore, as a good hydrating oil, argan oil is also great for moisturizing your cuticles as well.
Buffer
While buffering will not remedy the case of dry cuticles, it will help in clearing out the flaking cuticles that often people then try to cut or pull at, causing more damage it’s wake.
Lightly buffering them helps in smoothing out the cuticles, so no piece of dead skin remains poking out, ready to be picked at. However, for dry skin, try to be careful with the movement as dry skin is more delicate, and a harsh buff might cause it to break and bleed.
Cuticle oils
In case you have the recurring problem of dry cuticles, it would help in investing in cuticle oil. The oil needs to be generally applied couple of times during the day, so it protects your cuticles from drying out to begin with.
Oil also fortifies the water barrier, preventing moisture loss alongside making the cuticles softer. Since dry cuticles are more prone to suffering from cracks, making them soft is an important step in combating the tears and peels that then occur.
Cuticle cream
You can also search for a cuticle cream to get rid of the dry cuticles. Most of such creams are packed with essential vitamins like vitamin A, E, C that nourish the cuticle and promote healing. These also carry moisturizing properties as well, so protect against the drying out.
Hand cream
If you have the habit of using a good and hydrating hand cream, you pull also put some on your cuticles to hydrate them and make them softer.
Vaseline
Petroleum jelly, or Vaseline can also protect your cuticles. This thick goop helps in forming a barrier between your skin and the air, thereby protecting moisture loss from the skin. Vaseline also makes the cuticles softer, so they become less flaky and the urge to pull that them also recedes.
Vitamin E oil
Vitamin E oil helps in nourishing the cuticles, alongside making them strong. Since vitamin E is also a good hydrating agent, it also then prevents them from drying out, and becoming flaky to being with.
Furthermore, the antioxidative powers of vitamin E oil aid in the better healing of dry cuticles, alongside protecting them from free radicals-induced damage.
Cut back on nail polish
While is does not remedy the current state of your dry cuticles, it helps in preventing conditions that cause the drying of the cuticles.
Using nail polish can not only harm the cuticles even further, but in this vulnerable state, can also produce conditions conducive to fungal infection, meriting hurried visits to dermatologists then. Hence, when your cuticles are having a hard time, try to go without the nail paint.
